


Bigger Fish to Fry

by Astral_Space_Dragon



Series: The Quickest Way to a Devil’s Heart [1]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: DMC3!Dante, Devil Trigger (Devil May Cry), Friendship, Gen, Mild Blood, baker reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astral_Space_Dragon/pseuds/Astral_Space_Dragon
Summary: You have embarked on a new chapter in your life.You left everything you've known and moved to Red Grave to open a bakery. You are determined to make your mark on the city.On your first day of living in the city, you meet a colorful character. A man in red that had been sent to help you fix up the building. Who is this man?
Series: The Quickest Way to a Devil’s Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1751872
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

To say your family was shocked to learn that you were moving to Red Grave City would be an understatement. They seemed upset more than anything. Their reactions didn't surprise you, a single bit, though. They tried to convince you to stay home and make a family, something they had always been hellbent on making you do. You despised the idea of spending the rest of your days in your hometown.

You had a natural talent when it came to food. Whether it’s cooking a cake from scratch or a homemade pizza; if it was food, you could make it flawlessly. Even though your family saw it as nothing more than a hobby, you knew that you had to share your talent with the world, even if it meant leaving home behind.

Why Red Grave? You always thought it to be a beautiful city, even as a child. When you managed to save enough money for a ticket, snatched the opportunity. After packing your bags and essentials, you were ready for departure. You weren’t surprised by the cold shoulder everyone gave you, you weren’t bothered by it. In fact, it only encouraged you even more.

After getting on the plane, you were on your way to the next page of your life.

\----------------------------------

When the plane landed, you marveled at the size of the city skyline. It was certainly a lot bigger than your hometown and it made you buzz with excitement. After getting in a cab, your mind drifted to the conversation that led to this.

For about a year, you had been exchanging emails with a man who called himself “Morrison”. IT all started when you were browsing for apartments in the city and you had come across a posting of an apartment that was above a now shut down business. After a conversation with Morrison the two of you came to a deal: you’d pay for the apartment and restaurant, through a a couple of loans you’ll fix up the business and apartment, and with whatever money you make, you pay off the loan bit by bit.

When you arrived at the location, you got a good look at the building. To put it plainly, it had clearly seen better days. _A challenge. I like it._

“You must be, Y/N”

You turned at the voice and saw a man, headed in your direction. For a moment, you were confused. Then it hits you “Oh! You must be Morrison, then?”

“That is right” Morrison stood next to you “What do you think?”

“I love it! It obviously needs work but that’s honestly to best part for me”

Morrison chuckled “Glad you like it. I must ask, what do you plan on turning the business into?”

“A bistro slash bakery. There was a similar establishment in my hometown and I’ve always wanted to open one like it”

“A fine idea. By the way, I’ve took it upon myself to send some help your way”

“Will I be helping you pay for their time?”

Morrison lit up a cigar “Nah… he owes a bit of money. I told him that some of the debt would be forgiven if he took on this job”

“Morrison!” a voice called out.

When you look in the direction of the voice and see a man walking towards you. The man easily stands out: he was shirtless but he wore a red coat with a leather strap across his chest, black boots and, the most striking feature, the white hair.

“Aah… Dante. Right on time”

“What’s the job Morrison?”

“You’re going to be helping Miss Y/N here fix up this establishment into a nice eatery”

The man, Dante glanced at the restaurant and said “Sounds easy enough” he turned to look at you “This her?”

You held out your hand with a friendly smile, “Hey there! I’m Y/N!”

Dante returned the smile and accepted your handshake “Dante”

“Well, I’ll be leaving you two to your work. Good luck”

“Thanks, Morrison!” you exclaimed as the man left, leaving you with Dante.

After Morrison left, Dante piped up with a question “So… do you have an idea on what you want to turn this into?”

“Yeah. I’m turning this into a mixture of a bakery and a bistro”

“Gotcha”

“Let’s head inside and see what the damage is”

\----------------------------------

The interior of the building could’ve been worse. A lot worse. Paint was peeling from the walls, counters were covered in dust, tables, chairs and stools were rotting and falling apart. You hadn’t even seen the kitchen, yet.

Dante huffed a laugh “Looks like we got our work cut out for us”

“You thinking of backing out, now?”

“Pffft… no”

“Good”. You spotted a crate of cleaning supplies and tools “Looks like Morrison left some tools for us. Shall we get started?”

“Let’s do this” Dante replied.

And so began weeks and weeks of hard work. The first thing you two did was remove the furniture and toss it out onto the curb. You were caught off guard by Dante’s strength. _Does he work out?_

Next were the paint, walls and flooring. Using sledgehammers, you tore rotten wood paneling from the walls and tile from the floors. Dante was impressed by how tirelessly you were working. The walls revealed REALLY old pipes and foundation that needed to be replaced. Calling some handymen that Morrison recommended, the pipes and foundation were taken care of in a matter of days. Next were the windows. Needless to say, Dante enjoyed smashing the old windows. After looking through a catalog for a hardware store, you picked out ash-colored linoleum wood flooring, penny mosaic tile for the wall behind the counter and new wood paneling for the rest of the walls. Dante helped you with the installation.

Day and night, you’d sleep in the empty apartment above, excited about how it was all coming together. At one point, Dante offered you a bed at his place instead of the cold wood floor; you kindly declined but thanked him for the generous offer.

Halfway through the work, a moving van pulled up to the front of the building. It was the movers from your hometown. They had gotten lost along the road and had arrived a little late. They were extremely apologetic, but you were quick to forgive them. “Better late than never” you told them. After they unloaded your belongings, the movers bid you farewell as they left.

Within weeks, the front of the business was done. Next was the kitchen. The kitchen wasn’t as bad. All that needed to be replaced were the rusted ovens, counters, the fridge and freezers. 

Using his strength, Dante pulled one of the ovens from the wall and tossed out onto the curb.

\------------------------------

After clearing out the kitchen, the job was done and the kitchen was mopped and sanitized.

You wiped the sweat from your forehead and sighed “Finally. The new equipment should be here tomorrow. Setting up the kitchen is the last thing that needs to be done”

“Sounds good. You sure you’re gonna be fine on your own tonight?”

“My answer has been the same since we started: I’ll be fine.

Dante snickered “Sure. See you in the morning, Y/N”

“You too!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any Red Dead Redemption 2 players on here? Ya'll remember that one part of the game where you build Beecher's Hope? Remember the song that was playing? Yeah. That song was playing when I wrote this lol


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your bakery is officially open for business. Nothing could possibly ruin it right? Right?

Within a matter of weeks, your business was ready for business: new kitchen equipment was installed, On the night before the grand opening, you decided to celebrate with Dante. After all, none of this would’ve happened so fast it wasn’t for his help.

You sat with him in your little apartment dining room, beers in hand.

“Here’s to Y/N and a successful business”

You blushed at his words “Thanks, Dante”

“I really do think it’ll take off.”

“That’s really sweet of you to say, Dante”

“You picked a good name for the place, too. Sinful Temptations… how’d you come up with it?”

“Well, I’ve always been told by others that my cooking is and I quote: ‘sinfully good’. Just thought I’d play on that”

Dante nodded.

“Oh! Before I forget, as thanks for helping me this past month, you’ll be getting big discount on whatever you buy here”

“Holy shi--- Really?”

“Of course, Dante! You’ve been such a big help this past month. You’ve more than earned it”

“Wow... thanks, Y/N”

“It’s really no big deal, Dante” you smiled “this means you better come visit, okay?

Dante laughed “Heh. Of course”

“Good!”

\------------------------------

You woke up early the next morning and began to prepare for the grand opening. You had prepared the dough the night before so that you wouldn’t have to worry about it the day of. Working diligently, you prepared various breads, muffins, cookies, pies and other pastries. After setting everything up, you set up the tables and chairs, flipped the closed sign to open and unlocked the front door.  _ First day of business. _

The first day wasn't as busy as you thought it would be. You still had plenty of customers but for the most part, you found yourself mainly staring at the outside world. When the lunch hour rolled around, you got more customers and it kept you busy enough. Towards the end of the rush, you spotted a familiar man in red enter your shop.

You lit up "Dante! You actually came!"

Dante smiled "Of course I did, Y/N!"

"And on my first day! You are so sweet!"

Still smiling, Dante browsed the wide array of goods "You went all out didn't you?"

"Of course, I did" you grinned "See anything you like?"

"These strawberry things look good"

You go over to where he's at to see what he's referring to "Oh! The 4-point tarts?"

"Yeah. Those"

"They were made within the last hour, so they're super fresh! How many would you like?"

"I'll take 3"

"Alright. Let me bag those for you and then I'll ring you up".

You packed 3 of the tarts and after applying Dante's discount, you sent him on his way.

"Alright! Thanks Y/N!"

"See you, Dante! Have a good one!"

You got a few more customers afterwards and at the end of the day, you were low on some pastries. After locking the front door, flipping the sign, and some quick sweeping, you made dough for the next day.

After showering and getting into sleep clothes, you curled up in your futon and quickly fell asleep.

\------------------------------------

For the next couple of months, your routine was the same: get up, bake goods for the day, set up the front of the shop, put out goods for the day, open the store, sell, maybe see Dante, close the shop, clean, and go to bed. In those matter of months, you paid off the loan from Morrison.

Today was no different. It was towards the end of the day and there were hardly any customers. You were pondering on whether or not to close early. While you were lost in your thoughts, you felt a presence from… outside? Within the store? You weren't sure; but you felt something.

Suddenly, the large windows shattered inwards. A pack of demons had come crashing through, breaking the tables and chairs. They were nasty looking; walked on four hands and wore ugly masks. For a moment, they were oblivious of your presence. But only for a moment. They turned their attention towards you, their newest prey. One of the demons clambered up onto the counter and nicked your arm with its claws, making you let out a scream. You were backed up against the wall with only a cake knife in hand.

The demon was about to lunge at you when a flash of red pulled it away from you and threw it to the ground. A new demon had joined the fray. This demon was red, bipedal and wielded a sword. This one was… different. It had its back towards you, shielding you from the pack.

**"GET DOWN!"** it commanded. You obeyed and ducked behind the wood counter. Although you couldn't see what was going on, judging from the sounds, things weren't faring well for the pack of demons. You sat on the floor shaking as you listened to the sounds.

Soon it was quiet but you were too afraid to move.

**"Hey… it's safe. You can come out now"**

Slowly, you stood. The demons had disintegrated and only your savior stood in the aftermath of the fight. You got a better look at him and for some reason, he almost looked… familiar.

**"Are you alright, Miss?"**

"Y---yeah… I'm alri---ah!" a stinging pain in your arm interrupted your reply. You looked down at your arm and saw where one of the demons had scratched you. Three marks. They were bleeding and they burned.

The demon got closer to you and requested  **"Let me see"**

Despite your mind telling you otherwise, you decided to trust him and held out your arm. With a clawed hand, he gently grasped your arm and inspected the scratches.

**"This needs to be treated or else the wound will fester"**

"Do I… do I go to the hospital?"

The demon shook his head  **"No. You'd be sent to wait and by the time they get to you, it'll be too late"**

"What do I do, then?"

**"Come with me Y/N. I'll take you to my place and we can take care of that"**

"H---how do you know my name?"

**"How could I forget my favorite baker's name?"** the demon smiled.

"Dante???"

**"In the flesh"**

You stuttered but no coherent words came out.

**"You probably have questions. A lot of them..."**

You nodded.

**"I'll answer your questions. Let's get that scratch taken care of first"**

You nodded and Dante picked you up bridal style.

**"Hold on tight"**

In a flash, the two of you were in front of an old brick and mortar building. The large neon sign read "Devil May Cry". You heard of the business. Dante carried you inside and placed you on a couch as he shifted into his human form.

"Let me go get the first aid kit and then we'll talk, okay?"

Again, you nodded and you were left to look around the building. It was large and a little dingy. There was a glass display of weapons on the wall behind a wood desk. On that desk was a rotary phone, some old pizza boxes and a picture frame. A frame of what, you didn't know. There was a bar with a smaller neon sign and adjacent to the bar was a demon that had been skewered to the wall. Almost like a crude hunting trophy.

Dante came back with a red box and pulled the chair from the desk to the sofa "Hold out your arm and relax. This will sting. A lot"

You held out your arm and watched as Dante dug through the black box and pulled out a purple glass bottle and some gauze. 

You were so focused on watching him, you barely registered him saying "You might want to take a deep breath"

"Wha---" before you could even finish that though, Dante had pressed the soaked gauze to the wound. The burning was instantaneous. You had treated wounds from when you'd cut yourself with knives while cooking, but this was on an entirely different level. Whatever that chemical was, you could feel it seeping into the scratches, burning you from the inside out.

"That's it…. just a little longer" Dante gently whispered.

After a minute of treating, Dante wrapped your arm with a bandage "There. All better"

You observed the bandages and uttered quietly "Thank you…"

"No problem. You alright?"

You nodded.

"I'm guessing you have a lot of questions"

You nodded and added "I'm just tired"

"You can stay here for the night. Got a spare bed"

You glanced at Dante "I really don't want to impede---"

Dante waved his hand dismissively "It's no big deal. I promise"

You figured Dante would keep trying to convince you, you agreed to stay the night. You went up the stairs and entered the spare bedroom that Dante pointed out. Looking around, you noticed how dusty it was.

Dante noticed you looking at the dust-ridden room "Uhh….. You know what? Why don't you take my bed? I can sleep on the sofa"

You immediately declined "This doesn't bother me. I can just get rid of any excess dust"

Dante's only response was to direct you to another room, his door, "You had a rough night. Rather not have you suffocate because of a dusty bed?"

You sighed but relented.

"Good. There's spare clothes for you to change in in the dresser 'Night, Y/N" Dante called out as he headed down the stairs.

After changing into clothes that were a little too big, you curled up under the covers and immediately fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Dante had saved you from the demon attack, your mind is just buzzing with questions about your friend. Who is he? What is he?

When you woke up the next morning, it was almost noon. You sleepily trudged down the stairs and spotted Dante at the desk. He had just ended a phone call when he saw you.

"Hey, Y/N. You okay?"

"Yeah… I'm alright"

"Good. Listen, I just called Morrison and told him what happened last night. He's gonna pull some strings and your bakery will be repaired at no charge"

You silently nodded as you sat on the sofa.

He sighed and joined you on the sofa "As promised, I'll answer any question you have"

For the next two hours, Dante answered any question you asked. You learned that he is part demon and is a hunter. His demon father was Sparda, a powerful warrior who betrayed his kind to save humanity from the demon king and his boss, Mundus. He talked about his mother and what happened to her when he was young. You expressed your deepest sympathies.

"I'm so sorry, Dante. She… she sounded like an amazing woman"

Dante smiled sadly "She was…"

"So… It was just you and your mom after your father left?"

"Me, my mom, and my brother"

"You have a brother?"

A solemn look crosses Dante's face "Yeah… he's… gone"

You felt your heart break for your friend even more "Oh Dante…"

It wasn't difficult to notice how glassy Dante's eyes got. He was quick to change the subject "What about you? You got family back home?"

"I do… they weren't too happy about me moving here, though"

"Really?"

You nodded "They wanted me to stay home and quote-unquote: have a family"

"Damn…"

"I don't regret leaving them, though. Because I made a good friend here in Red Grave"

"Really? Who's this friend?" Dante teased.

You snorted as you nudged his shoulder "Whatever, smart-aleck"

"So despite last night's craziness, you're staying in town?"

"Of course! I came here to make my mark here and a bunch of demons aren't going to stop me"

"Good. Can't have my favorite baker leaving town"

"Speaking of, I feel like I should repay you for, once again, helping me"

Dante shook his head "Nah. You don't need to do that"

"You're not changing my mind. As of today, I'm letting you have free range of any baked goods. Free of charge"

Dante nearly fell off the couch "Are you serious?!"

You nodded with a big smile.

Dante was silent for a moment before he bashfully muttered "Thanks…"

"You're welcome. You've been such a good friend these past couple of months"

Still bashful, Dante scratched the back of his neck. He stood from the couch and went over to the phone "You hungry? I was gonna order pizza"

"Pizza sounds good"

"Any preference?"

"I'm good with whatever, Dante"

\----------------------------

When the pizzas arrived, the two of you spent hours and hours just talking. Talking about life, likes and dislikes; everything. You learned the man loves pizza, the color red, and rock music. He is a man that likes the simpler things in life. You also learned of his love for strawberries. You kept that little tidbit in the back of your mind.

Morrison had stopped by to check on you. The man was clearly relieved to see you alive. He had told you that repairs to your bakery would begin tomorrow and would take a couple of days to complete. Dante offered to have you stay until repairs were done as the sounds of early morning construction would be bothersome. 

You accepted the man's offer "I shared a bedroom with an annoying cousin. This is no different" you teased. Dante gave you a look of fake hurt as he laughed.

After some cleanup, the second bedroom was livable and not a hazard.

It was from that moment on that you truly realized that things were going to be VERY interesting from now on.


End file.
